Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Try making this Chinese takeout classic in your air fryer. The same flavour of the salt and pepper shrimp but much less oil!
Servings: 6
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 450g/1 lbs large shrimp/prawns cleaned and deveined
- 3 tbsp cornstarch/corn flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
- This is an affiliate link.cooking spray
For the garnish
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 red chilli sliced
- 1 tbsp ginger cut into thin matchsticks
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Clean and devein the shrimp. You can leave the tails on. Slice the garlic cloves and red chilli, cut the ginger into thin matchsticks, set aside till needed.
- In a medium and shallow bowl combine the cornstarch, salt and white pepper. Toss the shrimp in the mixture. Then shake off the excess cornstarch and place in your air fryer in a single layer. Spray with cooking spray making sure the cornstarch coating is fully covered by the spray. Then flip the shrimp on the other side and spray again.
- Air fry at 180C/350F for 4 minutes, then flip the shrimp on the other side, spray again and cook for 3-4 minutes longer. (If you are not able to set the temperature on your air fryer, choose "air fryer" setting.)
- While the shrimp is cooking, preheat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a small pan or a saucepan and quickly fry the sliced red chilli, garlic and ginger. Watch carefully, once you see the red chilli starting to curl, immediately remove the aromatics from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up excess oil. Serve the shrimp topped with the fried aromatics and sliced green onions.
Notes
- Use the highest quality jumbo shrimp/prawns you can find. For simple recipes like this one, quality ingredients will make a big difference.
- The garnish is important for the flavour of the dish and making sure that the shrimp won't taste bland. But be careful to keep an eye on it so the garnish doesn't burn.
- Make sure to completely cover the cornstarch coated shrimp with cooking spray until it looks wet. This prevents the cornstarch from remaining powdery when cooked
- The shrimp/prawns will need to be flipped half way through cooking, and sprayed again with cooking spray.
- Avoid overcrowding your air fryer with shrimp as it prevents the hot air from properly circulating. If space looks too tight, it will be better to cook the shrimp in batches.
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 814mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg